senate armed services committee

The Equality Act would include protections in public accommodations, public education, employment, housing, federal funding, jury service, legal protections, and credit.

A member of the New Hampshire National Guard will be allowed to attend an upcoming Yellow Ribbon event with her same-sex partner, Defense Department officials said Wednesday. Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan, who returned recently from a deployment in Kuwait and made headlines when she came out in the national media following repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” said earlier this week that she was not authorized to bring her partner of 11 years to a required-attendance Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program event.

The president signed certification for repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" today and sent it to Congress. Now another waiting period begins. A 60-day waiting period follows before the policy is finally dropped, meaning that DADT would no longer be enforced on Sept. 20. A recent order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals already bars the military from further discharges and investigations under the policy. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cheered the certification and looked ahead to next steps.